The document provides guidance for FFA advisors on their roles and responsibilities in selecting and training chapter officers, developing effective chapter programs and activities, helping members advance in the organization, and properly financing and administering the chapter while inspiring students and avoiding becoming overly controlling of the chapter. It also offers tips for advisors on how to recruit new members to build up a new FFA chapter or one with low participation.

1. The Role of the FFA Advisor

2. You are an FFA Advisor…
You need one more person to make up a
livestock judging team. Your chapter vice
president did very well on the livestock unit
in class, but has no career plans for animal
science (She is working toward a career in
biotechnology). She judged livestock with
4-H for eight years. Should you ask her to
serve on the livestock team?

3. Roles
 Selecting and Training Officers
 Developing a Chapter Program
 Securing Experience in Agriculture
 Developing Leadership
 Improving Scholarship
 Serving the Community
 Financing the FFA Chapter Program
 Securing Advancement of Members
 Developing and Using a Constitution and Bylaws

4. Real Advisors…
 Inspire
 Motivate - “Strike fear in the hearts of
many”?
 Encourage, Console
 Teach
 Encourage calculated risk-taking.
 Have long-term best interests of the student
at heart.

5. Real Advisors do NOT:
 Lead the chapter.
 “Boss the job, run the show, etc.”
 Forget their job as a teacher.
 Advise “Cheese Doodle Chapters”.
The consequences could mean that the chapter
“dies” after the FFA advisor retires.

6. You are an FFA Advisor…
Janet and Michael, two very good friends,
ran for chapter office. Both are seniors and
both expect to be the next chapter president.
Janet is elected president and Michael
became the vice president. Michael is
furious and vows to never again participate
in FFA, even though he is in your 3rd period
class.

7. Selecting and Training
Officers
 Providing local leadership
experience for all students.
 Providing practical “on
the job” training.
 Coordinating the
development of a
responsible officer
selection/training process.
 Inservice learning about
leadership.

8. You are an FFA Advisor…
Your FFA chapter officers have always
planned a program of activities for the
chapter. This year, you want include more
FFA members in planning. During the first
week of the new school year, a chapter
meeting is called for the purpose of setting
up the POA. Four students show up.

9. Developing a Chapter
Program
 Training members to cooperate and
deliberate in group setting (committees).
 Providing a framework for organizing and
distributing information, resources.
 Providing a framework for maintaining the
system (fail-safe mechanisms).

10. Securing Experience in
Agriculture
 Understand the value of SAE in Ag. Ed.
 Competition that isn’t founded in career
development for the student is just
competition.
 Developing FFA
activities that parallel
the development of SAE
in students.

11. Developing Leadership
 Having a good knowledge of leadership
theory.
 Developing learning materials and activities
that develop leadership.
 Providing students with experiences that
encourage leadership skill development.

12. Improving Scholarship
 Developing a mechanism for creating and
distributing scholarship funds.
 Find the scholarship application at ffa.org.
 Find the scholarship information at
ncffa.org.

13. Serving the Community
 Developing a presence within the school
and community.
 Serve in civic activities whenever and
wherever appropriate.
 Develop programs that contribute
something good to the community.
 Advertising isn’t community service.

14. Financing the FFA Chapter
Program
 Training chapter leaders how to make sound
fiscal decisions.
 Coordinating fund-raising efforts.
 Adhering to school fundraising
requirements.

15. You are an FFA Advisor…
You are going through the State FFA
Degree applicants and find that Tom, in
your class has completed all of the
requirements for the degree except one. He
is a good student and tries very hard, but he
cannot complete the one requirement (not
enough years in Ag.). He wants to run for
state office next year.

16. Securing Advancement of
Members
A firm knowledge of:
 FFA Proficiency Awards
 FFA Star Awards
 Career Development Events
 FFA Degrees
The single greatest thing to help students secure
advancement is SAE.
How many different proficiency award areas are
there?

17. Your are an FFA Advisor…
Your school is on a block schedule. Fifty
percent of chapter officers are not enrolled
in an ag. class this semester. You are having
difficulty getting information about FFA
activites out to the officers and other
members.

18. Developing and Using a
Constitution and Bylaws
 Having a good knowledge
of how a chapter
constitution works.
 Setting up policies and
procedures that allow the
smooth flow of
information and resources
to all parts of the local
FFA program.

19. You are an FFA Advisor…
You have just opened a brand new
agriculture program in a school that has not
had one before. How do you recruit
members for an organization they have
never heard of before. The neighboring has
a very poor FFA chapter.

20. Recruiting and Retaining
Members
 Develop a framework by
which students within the
Ag. Program are recruited
to join.
 Develop a system for
recruiting new students
into the Ag. Program
using FFA as an incentive.
 Develop a system for
retaining members.